Dietethics: buy local or trade fair?

Abstract

In his book, The Way We Eat, Peter Singer attempts to raise awareness about food ethics and the hidden costs of the average first-world diet to the environment and the world’s poor. Based on a critical analysis of the food industry, he presents the concientious reader with three proposals: local food, fair trade, and vegetarianism. Despite the likely environmental benefits of the buy local movement, other ways to protect the environment that do not hinder the economic development of the poorest countries are ethically preferable. In Section III, I argue from a utilitarian framework that we can do the most long-term good if we contribute now to third world development. Thus, our most urgent responsibility is to promote fair trade.